Baseball is great. In all reality, it is the one sport that execution can overcome talent. The filthiest pitch can be hit. The toughest and most dangerous hitter can be struck out. The fastest base runner can be stopped. The best fielder can make a mistake that can cost his team the game. Once again, the execution is more important than the talent. That being said, we tend to over emphasize the talent on a given roster for the reason of stating which teams are superior to the others. As the game has evolved over the past several years, the pool of talent has spread itself over the course of the majority of baseball teams. This has made it more difficult clearly state how the talent of one team is drastically better than the talent of another. In the end, it will be the execution of the filthy pitch, the dangerous swing, the progress from base to base and the fundamentals of fielding a ball that will separate almost equally talented baseball teams. The New York Yankees have found themselves in a position they really have never been in before. The decision made by Yankees ownership and the front office curtailed the amount of spending in regards to the Yankees payroll. In other words, the previously unlimited payroll was suddenly looked at as a budget. One, though different than other budgets in the small market cities, that has been taken seriously. Because of this, the Yankees were left out of a very aggressive free agent market, one which saw billions of dollars given away to players of all talents and abilities. The Yankees and their general manager Brian Cashman sought different ways to improve their team. The Yankees have done a good job putting their future in perspective. Top prospects Luis Severino, Greg Bird, Aaron Judge, Jorge Mateo and Gary Sanchez have been considered off limits, making it difficult for the team to swing a deal to address certain needs at the major league level. The Yankees swung a deal they could make when they sent backup catcher John Ryan Murphy (.277 batting average, 3 home runs, 14 runs batted in, .734 on base plus slugging, 155 at bats) to the Minnesota Twins for outfielder Aaron Hicks (.256, 11, 33, 721, 97 games). They then agreed on a deal with the Chicago Cubs that completely defied logic. The Yankees managed to acquire a 25 year- old (soon to be 26) infielder set to enter the prime of his career. The cost, not a top prospect. Not an impact player at the major league level. The Yankees acquisition of infielder Stalin Castro (.265, 11, 69, .671) from the Chicago Cubs could become one of the bigger heists in recent memory. Yes, the Cubs are in great position to win in 2016 and had a fantastic off season to support that. So much that having Castro was thought to be having too much, so much that the Cubs could just give him away. The Cubs added swing man Adam Warren (7 wins, 7 losses, 3.29 earned run average, 104 strikeouts, just over 131 innings pitched, 43 games, 17 starts) and extra infielder Brendan Ryan (.229, 0, 8, 96 at bats). Ryan was such a throw-in in this deal that he was immediately released by the Cubs. So, the Cubs got themselves a pitcher who will likely be the 11th or 12th pitcher on their staff for a three time All Star who has 991 MLB hits before his 26th birthday. As if that was enough, the Yankees then took on the vulnerability of the Cincinnati Reds and the situation regarding their star closer Aroldis Chapman. Reds general manager Dick Williams, who early on in his tenure seems a little overwhelmed with his responsibilities, decided he could not wait to deal one of his biggest assets. After a deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers (a better one for the Reds if they had swung in) fell through because of Chapman's disagreement with his girlfriend- no charges were filed, the Yankees swooped in and, once again, got a top player in the entire game for a handful of table scraps. Certainly no reason to blame the Yankees, in fact, the Cubs and the Reds should be blamed for catering to another ball club. Hopefully, there was some sort of gentleman's agreement between the two teams that will put the Yankees in a position to return the favor down the road. While I still try to come to grips with how any team can land a pitcher who struck out 50 batters more than the amount of innings he pitched in 2015 for Rookie Davis and Eric Jagielo, there is no doubt the Yankees have made a strength even better. Chapman has averaged 15.4 strikeouts per 9 innings pitched for his career and is coming off a season where he finished with a 1.63 earned run average. The Yankees back of their bullpen was their strength in 2015, where left hander Andrew Miller (3-2, 2.04, 36 saves, 100 strikeouts, just less than 62 innings pitched) and right handed pitcher Dellin Betances (6-4, 1.50, 9 saves, 131 Ks, 84 IP) provided one of the sickest late game combinations baseball has seen. Bringing in Chapman to serve as the closer gives the Yankees something perhaps the game has not seen before. Miller- Betances- Chapman really has made it a six inning game for the Yankees and, in the right scenario, could alleviate the need for the team to use lesser pitchers in the sixth and seventh innings of games that are tied or the Yankees are in the lead. The super bullpen idea was to take some of the pressure off the Yankees starters, who admittedly are not in a position to generally go more than six innings in a game. Masahiro Tanaka (12-7, 3.51, 139 Ks, 154 IP) leads a staff that could potentially include its next ace in Severino (5-3, 2.89, 59 Ks, just over 62 IP). The Yankees have been waiting a couple years now for right hander Michael Pineda (12-10, 4.37, 156 Ks, just under 162 IP) to take the reigns as a top starting pitcher. They have another pitcher with similar talent in Nathan Eovaldi (14-3, 4.20, 121 Ks, just over 154 IP), giving the Yankees a good one through four assuming 1- they can all stay healthy and 2- Severino, Pineda and Eovaldi can all raise their game. The Yankees will have to make a fifth starter decision between longtime ace CC Sabathia (6-10, 4.73, 137 Ks, just over 167 IP) and right hander Ivan Nova (6-11, 5.07, 56 Ks, just over 62 IP). Nova is entering his second season back from Tommy John surgery and Sabathia is in a battle against father time. Both should make the Yankees roster even if there is not an injury, but it is easy to see how neither should be best suited to be a reliever. The Yankees lineup will continue to center around the ageless stars Alex Rodriguez (.250, 33, 86, .842), Mark Teixeira (.255, 31, 79, .906) and Carlos Beltran (.276, 19, 67, .808). Center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury (.257, 7, 33, .663) is going to face a lot of pressure this season as he needs to give a better performance. Left fielder Brett Gardner (.259, 16, 66, .742) made the All Star team last season but managed to have one of the worst second halves for a position player in all of baseball. Veteran catcher Brian McCann (.232, 26, 94, .756) can serve as a backup option at first base, though no indications have been made that this will be the case. This would allow for the offensive minded catcher Sanchez to get an opportunity to hit in the major leagues. The bottom line is this: i Sanchez can hit as good as the scouts say he can hit, Gary Sanchez belongs in the Yankees lineup almost every day. Casto slots in at second and forms half a double play combination that includes Didi Gregorius (.265, 9, 56, .688) at shortstop. Third baseman Chase Headley (.259, 11, 62, .693) is coming off a down year both offensively and defensively.The Yankees lineup I would start the season with would go like this Castro 2B, Gardner LF, Beltran RF, Teixeira 1B, Rodriguez DH, McCann C, Headley 3B, Gregorius SS, Ellsbury CF. Hicks and Sanchez lead the bench with Dustin Ackley (.231, 10, 30, .731) and Rob Refsnyder likely rounding out the bench. I am keeping Sanchez on the major league roster to start the season because there is no other place for him to go. Teixeira, Rodriguez and McCann are not being traded and it would be a waste of time and talent to see Sanchez spend another full season in the minor leagues. The Yankees have the ability to start the season with four bench players and eight relief pitchers. Assuming one of the relievers are Sabathia or Nova and Chapman, Miller and Betances are accounted for, this leaves the opportunity for four additional pitchers to make the club. Left hander Chasen Shreve (6-2, 3.09, 59 games) will be part of the mix and likely so will righty Brandon Pinder (0-2, 2.93, 25 games). Veterans Vinny Pestano and Anthony Swarzak will compete with youngsters Jorge Pazos and Nick Rumbelow for the final two spots in the bullpen. Much has been said about the potential of Yankees top outfield prospect Aaron Judge. His power is unbelievable and hopes are he can debut in the major leagues this season. The speedy Jorge Mateo looks like he could be the Yankees shortstop of the future, though he is just 20 years old. Bird missing the 2016 season will hurt, though he was ticketed to start the season in the minors. Left hander Jacob Lindgren could become a fixture in the Yankees bullpen as his upside is better than anybody on the Yankees not named Chapman, Miller or Betances. Finally, 2015 first round draft pick James Kaprielian should continue to move through the Yankees system with eyes on debuting in 2017. The Yankees have done a very good job keeping an eye on the future while trying to stay in contention doing it. That is one thing I will always respect about the Yankees, they will not quit on a season even though they acknowledge the team needs to get younger. I can see the Yankees doing well this season. There are doubts about every team in the American League East division, including the Yankees. But they have a strong young starting pitching staff with a mind blowing back three in the bullpen. That, by itself, should account for some wins. However, the Yankees need a healthy season out of not only Rodriguez, Teixeira and Beltran, but out of Ellsbury and the middle infielders as well. The team is not equipped with the depth to handle a debilitating injury to really any of their major offensive players. There is no doubt the Yankees will be in the race all season and they should based off of Las Vegas' over/ under of 85. I have them finishing at 83-79, third place in the American League East.

The New York Yankees are coming off a 84-78 2014 season, a year that saw them essentially play .500 baseball for the duration. After April, when the Yankees played 4 games over .500, the team was 14-14 in May, 12-15 in June, 14-12 in July, 15-13 in August and 14-13 in September. For the first time in years, the Yankees most recent season was not considered a disappointment in the eyes of the national baseball community. If you followed this team, you would have never got the impression that the 2014 Yankees were ready to take off. However, they still finished in 2nd place in the AL East- though 12 games out of the division- but were only 4 games out of the last wild card spot which went to Oakland. What doomed the Yankees last season and will likely doom them in 2015 is the ageing of their top players. The down, injury plagued seasons of 1B Mark Teixeira (.216, 12, 62, 123 games), Carlos Beltran (.233, 15, 49, 103 games) and CC Sabathia (3-4, 5.28, 8 starts) symbolized what happens when very good to great players get older. All three will be a key to the 2015 club as well, though their health cannot be a guarantee by any stretch of the imagination. Derek Jeter has ridden off into the sunset, to be replaced by 25 year old SS Didi Gregorius- who came over from the Arizona Diamondbacks in a three way deal that sent RHP Shane Greene to the Tigers and LHP Robbie Ray to the D'Backs. Baseball scouts have been talking about his ability to play SS for years now, but has been known to have his shortcomings at the plate (.226, 8, 27 in 80 games in 2014) (.243, .680 OPS in 191 MLB games from 2012-2014). However, almost a third of his hits last season were for extra bases (9 2B, 5 3B, 6 HR, 61 hits). The amount of star offensive minded SSs are dwindling so perhaps baseball is getting back to the importance of having players that can get it at these positions. Other moves the Yankees made were acquiring RHP Nathan Eovaldi (6-14, 4.37, 33 starts) and 1B Garrett Jones (.246, 15, 53, 146 games) from the Miami Marlins in exchange for 2B Martin Prado (.282, 12, 58, 143 games for D'Backs and Yankees) and RHP David Phelps (5-5, 4.38, 32 games, 17 starts). The Yankees lost closer David Robertson (4-5, 3.08, 39 saves, 96 Ks in just over 64 IP) to free agency and signed LHP Andrew Miller (5-5, 2.02, 73 games, 103 Ks in just over 62 IP) to take his spot in the bullpen. RHP Dellin Betances (5-0, 1.40, 70 games, 135 Ks in 90 IP) moves from the 8th inning to the 9th with Miller taking his place in the 8th. Bringing back 3B Chase Headley (.243, 13, 49, 135 games for Padres and Yankees) and 2B Stephen Drew (.162, 7, 26, 85 games for Red Sox and Yankees) answered any questions of what the team will look like offensively. This is all, of course, assuming everybody stays healthy- which we know will not be a given. Alex Rodriguez will get all the attention this spring, but for the Yankees, it will be all about what he can do to help this team and what he has left in the tank. This will be the first time in Alex's career that he is simply one out of 25. He will not play every day and is expected to start the season as the right hand hitting DH that will play some 1B and 3B. I know the media wants to make more out of this than it has to but it really is this simple- if Alex hits and helps this team... he will stay. If not, the Yankees may have no choice to remove him from the team. What does he have left? I have no idea. The fact that he is will be 40 in July is not good. However, maybe the time off last year allowed his body to heal better, I mean he had both of his hips replaced. If the Yankees can get a duplicate of his 2011 regular season (.276, 16, 62 in 99 games), they would sign up for that in a heartbeat. When it comes to milestones, few have mentioned that he is just 61 hits away from 3000. The Yankees best offensive players right now are CF Jacoby Ellsbury (.271, 16, 70, 39 SB) and Brett Gardner (.256, 17, 58, 21 SB). C Brian McCann (.232, 23, 75) is what he is right now. He is going to lose hits due to the shift and lets not forget he hit .230 for the Braves in 2012. The best Yankees lineup, in my opinion, is Gardner LF, Beltran RF, Ellsbury CF, Teixeira 1B, McCann C, Headley 3B, Rodriguez/ Jones DH, Drew 2B, Gregorius SS. Chris Young (.222, 11, 38 for the Mets and Yankees) plays a very important role in this team's OF with Ichiro going to Miami. If Young can produce and can stay healthy, he will likely play in 140-150 games. Infielders Rob Refsnyder, Jose Pirela and Brendan Ryan will all battle for likely two spots as backup infielders. A healthy Ryan has the upper hand because of his defensive mastering of the SS position. JR Murphy (23-81, 1, 9) will start the season as the backup catcher with Austin Romine also in the mix. Starting pitching was a key to the Yankees being as competitive as they were last season. Losing Hiroki Kuroda (11-9, 3.71, 21 starts, 199 IP) hurts and there is some uncertainty with the health of Sabathia and Masahiro Tanaka (13-5, 2.77, 20 starts). Also, throw in the fact that Michael Pineda (5-5, 1.89, 13 starts has yet to pitch a complete season with the Yankees and Ivan Nova (2-2, 8.27, 4 starts) is recovering from Tommy John surgery, the Yankees have a lot of questions going into the season. However, if the projected starting five of Tanaka, Pineda, Sabathia, Eovaldi and Chris Capuano (3-4, 4.35, 40 games, 12 starts for Red Sox and Yankees) can stay on the field, the starting pitching can once again be a strength for the team. Another pitcher to consider to compete for the 5th starter spot has made 104 career appearances for the Yankees. Just 3 of them have been starts. If Sabathia is a no go to start the season, look for the Yankees to go with Adam Warren (3-6, 2.97, 69 games, 0 starts) as the 5th starter. Scott Baker, a NRI, is another option who I believe will help the Yankees at some point of the season, as is former Braves and Royals RHP Kyle Davies. The bullpen, even without Robertson, has a very good chance of being the best of this team. Betances is the closer- with Miller setting up- but the team does have a good collection of hard throwers who should make their marks. RHP David Carpenter (6-4, 3.54, 65 games, 67 Ks in 61 IP) comes over from Atlanta in a deal for LHP Manny Banuelos. LHP Justin Wilson (3-4, 4.20, 70 games, 61 Ks in 60 IP) came over in the deal with Pittsburgh that sent C Francisco Cervelli to the Pirates. LHP Jacob Lindgren also has swing and miss stuff. Two others in camp, RHPs Andrew Bailey and Esmil Rogers, have the ability to help out as well. Bailey, however, has not been able to stay on the field. He missed all of 2014 and has pitched just 49 games since the start of 2012. Rogers has the ability to start, but has not been good after making more than three starts in a row. Just look at the track record of his career. He has shown some promise as a reliever, but has never had that breakout relief season. Jared Burton comes over from the Twins on a minor league deal (3-5, 4.36, 68 games) and will be in the mix as well. And don't forget Warren, who will be a late game reliever if he is not needed as a starter. Refsnyder probably deserves a chance to play at the major league level. He has been impressive at every level he has played at, but will have to keep it up to get his shot. Yangervis Solarte hit last year and got his chance, so Refsnyder can try to do the same. C Gary Sanchez will be playing in AAA and even though his "can't miss" status is not the same, remains a quality catching prospect. RHP Luis Severino is the Yankees best overall prospect, but is unlikely to have a huge impact on the 2015 Yankees. He will be a September callup at best. The Yankees are a difficult team to predict this season. It would be easy to just assume all the veteran players will be hurt and things will be the worst for this team. I think there is enough depth to help them cover certain injuries, as long as they don't cost players full seasons. The bullpen has a chance to be great and if Tanaka and Pineda are healthy, they can overachieve. I also think they can beat the other teams in their division, a testament to how weak the division has gotten. Vegas put their O/U at 81 1/2 and I think they are right on. I am going with 82-80, 3rd place in the AL East.